The election of Donald Trump

Mental health impacts of the election of Donald Trump as the US president

26 Sep 2017

Dr Richard Schweizer from One Door presents an article exploring the mental health impacts on US citizens as a direct result of the election of Donald Trump.

Donald Trump is many things to many people, but there is emerging evidence that he and his presidential approach may be causing mental distress amongst US citizens. This timely article from the American Psychological Association explores the mental health impacts the election of Donald Trump in the US has had on some citizens of that country. The authors note that:

“The American Psychological Association (APA) reported in October 2016 that 52% of American adults felt that the 2016 Election was a considerable (i.e. very or somewhat significant)source of stress.Then, in February 2017, the APA reported that 57% of American adults felt that the current political climate was a considerable (i.e. very or somewhat significant) source of stress, indicating that the effects of the 2016 Election on the mental health and wellbeing of the US population had not subsided considerably following the election.”

We know that high levels of stress and anxiety are risk factors for further physical and psychological illness. Attending to the biological or physical stress symptoms using health promotinginterventions such as exercise and relaxation techniques to lower the body's physiological response to stress is a good way of decreasing the risk of poor physical and mental health. I strongly encourage activities such as yoga, social sporting teams, and meditation.